NBC did not interrupt its broadcast of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade yesterday to bring viewers the news that an M&M balloon had crashed into a light pole, injuring two sisters.

In fact, when the time came in the tightly scripted three-hour program for the M&Ms' appearance, NBC weaved in tape of the balloon crossing the finish line at last year's parade - even as the damaged balloon itself was being dragged from the accident scene.

This is just bizarre. I saw it, too. Actually, I can't stand the perky one, so I turned on CBS. They had Dave Price, who used to be on FOX AM news in NYC. So I turn it on, they've got some sort of incident. I check NBC to see what they are doing, and it's like nothing's wrong. You would think they would WANT to cover the balloon wreck.

I must admit that your clever response has caused me a great deal of anguish now that I know the FCC punishes news broadcasters for factual inaccuracies. I have a question though, could you cite a case or a regulation or a law that says this? To answer your question I think the FCC does the following: Regulates telephone companies that provide interstage service, regulate cable companies in conjunction with cities, allocate spectrum, develop telecomm policy and regulate broadcasters. I was unaware that ancillary to the FCC's authoirty over broadcasters that they regulated the news. Help me out with a cite wouldn't you?

"The government "cracking down" on news outlets sounds unwise and unconstitutional to me. How bout turning off the channel."

What a bunch of crap. Nobody is saying they can't report the news. What were are saying is it had damn well better be the TRUTH.

To me, it's unconstitutional that the media is fabricating news to fit their own political agenda, using the power of media to sway the outcome of elections, Side stepping MY right to choose the government of this nation. By printing lies, slandering political opponents, and promoting who their group of elitist communists want in power, they make the constitution worthless.

So what are you scared of? Making the media responsible for what it is selling us?

NBC can treat the parade as an entertainment show, if they wish. But NBC's entertainment division ought to hire someone other than NBC's newscasters to present the parade if they want to treat it as an entertainment show, show year-old footage (even with attribution) and not report the real news of what was happening. The way NBC did it, Katie and Matt looked like fools and lost their credibility among adults.

I think what prolly happened was M&M paid NBC to jazz up the rendition of the M&M float, (witness the obviously-scripted comments by the Brainless Duo about how "M&M melts in your mouth, not in your hand!"-commentators at a parade would never use such scripted tagline banter to describe an M&M float) and there was a provision in their contract to never speak ill of any paying sponsors.

So, when the ballon crashed, they had to stick to what their contract read and parrot the silly lines of "Due to wind conditions, we're using footage filmed earlier of the M&M's float" and proceed to describe how delicious M&M's are.

I'm afraid of a left wing President with a left wing Supreme Court telling me and you what the "truth" is. Damn for a bunch of alleged supporters of the Constitution you all have very little faith in the First Amendment and the thinking behind it.

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